An Eve to Believe
by Arctimon
Summary: A day to go before the New Year, Phineas sets forth to find just how, exactly, the girl across the street feels about him.  Perhaps along the way, he'll learn a thing or two about his feelings toward her.  P/I.  Fear not, the final chapter is up!
1. The Book

Now we get to my second holiday fic, the New Year's Eve one. Suffice to say, this one is going to be much longer than **Christmas Comfort **(and also a thousand times more fluffy).

_**DISCLAIMER: **All character of Phineas and Ferb are the property of Dan Povenmire, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, and Disney Channel._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1 – The Book<strong>_

It was the last day of the year, and you bet that wouldn't changed the schedule of our titular stepbrothers. Of course, that can also be applied to their older sister, Candace Flynn. Every morning was the same: a good breakfast, the morning show with DJ Stanky Dog, and the unnecessary dramatization of her relationship with her boyfriend, Jeremy Johnson.

"Oh my gosh, Stacy, I'm freaking out!"

Candace's best friend, Stacy Hirano, sighed on the other end of the line. Yes, Candace was her BFF and her own confidant, but sometimes it felt like she flipped out over the slightest things. Her brothers, Jeremy, the mailman...

Well, the mailman was a one time thing, but in his defense, he had no idea that there was a platypus on the front steps. Anyway...

"Candace, I think you need to take a chill pill. Just breathe and relax."

Due to the rapid paced hyperventilation that ensued on the phone, Stacy immediately regretted this suggestion.

"Oh come on, Candace, it's not that big of a deal. Everyone in town is going to be at the New Year's Party in The Park. It's not like you two are going to be the only ones there."

"I know, Stace, but it's our first big big _big_ outing as an actual couple. I just don't want to mess this up."

Stacy rolled her eyes, thankful Candace couldn't see her. "You've been out before as a couple! Several times, in fact! Remember when you guys went to the mall?"

"Yeah," Candace retorted, "But that didn't count, I was too busy trying to bust Phineas and Ferb to enjoy it. They had a ferris wheel and-"

"Maybe that's the problem then, Candace. You need to lay off the busting and stay on the lusting."

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" Candace inquired.

Stacy failed to suppress the growing smirk on her face. "Oh, don't tell me you weren't thinking about kissing him at midnight?"

Candace flushed. "Well, I...was, but I'm afraid I'm going to miss and kiss, like, a tree or something."

"Provided that you are, in fact, a normal human being and don't have the eyesight of a donkey, I'm sure you'll do fine. I plan on doing the same with Coltrane tonight."

"OoooooOoooohhhh! Stacy's in _loooovvee_!"

"H-h-h-hey, I don't like the way this conversation is going," Stacy stammered. She had to get into her serious voice for her advice. "Look, it's just a kiss. You've done it before. It's not like you're giving him your kidney or anything. Just relax, feel the moment, and everything will be fine."

Candace smiled one of her ear-to-ear grins. "What would I do without you, Stace? You're so smart!"

"Hey, thanks! Would you mind calling my mom and telling her that?"

"Well, I wish I knew if he was thinking this as well," Candace bemoaned, wandering off toward her bedside window. "I just hope I know WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THEY MAKING OUTSIDE?"

Stacy, now confused, pressed her ear to the phone. "What's going on?"

"My brothers are building some sort of-I don't know what! Stace, I'm gonna have to call you back!"

"Candace, wait!" Unfortunately, the only noise she could hear on her cell was the dial tone. She let out a loud groan, putting her face in her palm. "Ahh, and it was going so well too..."

Candace yanked her window open forcefully, dropping her phone in the process. This was the least of her concerns, as now her primary focus was on the happenings in her backyard.

"_What are you guys up to?_"

"Oh, hey Candace," Isabella said, waving to her from the foot of what appeared to be a giant organ, with much larger chutes coming out of the back of the control panel. The rest of her troop, as well as Ferb, Buford, Baljeet, and Irving, were strewn around the large machine. Some of them had hammers and nails while others were hoisting materials around the rest of the backyard.

"What is that thing?"

"Oh, this?" Isabella wistfully gestured toward the contraption. "It's a fireworks display for the Party at the Park. It's going to shoot _so_ many firecrackers it's not even-"

"Yeah, yeah, it shoots a bunch of stuff! I get it!" Candace yelled, waving her hand. "You guys are going to be so busted!"

"Well, aren't your parents still at the airport? Aren't they not going to get back until this afternoon?"

Candace paused, her mouth agape. "...Oh man, that's right." She quickly dismissed that thought in favor of a better one. "That doesn't mean I can't call them..._andtellthemwhatyou'reupto!_ You...and Phineas...and-"

She stopped, her internal headcount missing a very important twerp. "Hey, where is Phineas?"

Isabella looked behind her and shrugged her shoulders. "I...don't know. He went inside to get some blueprints for a rather large Chinese Dragon, but never came back out." She pulled her hat further down on her body as she edged closer to the redhead's window. "I don't suppose you can see where he is, Candace?"

"Ohhh no!" Candace said. "I'm not getting him so you guys can continue on your shenanigans or whatever."

"But Candace, the sooner you get him, the sooner we can finish."

"And?"

"Well, the sooner we finish, the sooner you can go...elsewhere."

Candace hated how gossip seemed to fly around town sometimes.

She waved her finger, beckoning Isabella to come closer to her window still. Once the girl was out of earshot of the rest of the kids, Candace whispered, "I'm on to you, you know."

Isabella slyly grinned. "What on Earth do you mean by that?"

The teen narrowed her eyes at her, the teasing tone in her voice not lost on her. "...Whatever. If I find him, you guys have to get this done ASAP, kapiche?"

"You got it," Isabella replied, her grin widening even further.

Candace growled, then slammed her window shut with a thud. It was becoming increasingly common for Isabella to be "in the know" for the gossip around the city, and that was a fact that she was getting agitated with. She suppose that the blame wasn't entirely on the Fireside Girl leader; she made her own issues too public for her own good.

She headed down the hallway, calling for her brother. She ducked her head down into the foyer. Nope, no Phineas on the couch. She glanced into the music room. No one there. She checked his room-

Aha. There he was. Phineas was laying down on his bed, leafing through a giant book.

"Phineas! Isabella wanted me to look for you! They need you outside!"

No response.

"Phineas!"

"What?" He looked up, evidently distracted about something. "Oh. Right. Yeah, I'll be out there in a second."

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she sauntered in to glance at the book Phineas was holding. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, this?" Phineas responded, still troubled. "It's the scrapbook Isabella got me for Christmas. It has all sorts of stuff in here."

She peered over his shoulder, noting all of the somewhat obvious hearts and exquisite decorations on the page. Every page was filled with pictures of the two of them building inventions or hanging out in the backyard. "Man, she went all out for this thing. How big is this freakin' book?"

"It's a few pounds. There's a lot of photos in here." Phineas set his head on his hand. "A lot of them..." he trailed off.

"Don't you have a freakin' thing to build, Phineas?" Candace exclaimed. "C'mon, I need you to get it done so that I can have some Jeremy time!"

"Candace." Phineas stared at his sister, his expression serious. "I said I would be out in a minute."

She scoffed of his statement as she got off of his bed. "Fine. Whatever. Doesn't matter to me. If you finish soon, I get Jeremy. If you don't, I get to bust you. Win-win for me." She headed toward the door, resolving to call Stacy back and chat with her for another couple of hours.

Or at least that _was _the plan.

"Candace?"

She stopped, hand on the frame of the door. It had been a while since she heard that much worry in her little brother's voice.

"Yeah?"

And then she heard the sentence she never thought she would hear.

"...Does Isabella like me?"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> ...Oh dear. This should be interesting.

There will be eight chapters in total for this story, at the rate of one chapter/day. Or at least that's the plan, anyway. I have a lot of writing to do; let's see if all of it gets done. So anyone who gets interested in this story, you're in luck; it will be updated at a relatively quick pace.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time.


	2. The Talk

_**DISCLAIMER:** Everything is owned by someone else.  
><em>

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 2 – The Talk<strong>_

Predicament time.

Candace could either walk out of the room, pretending not to hear her little brother, or turn around and face the conversation that she was dreading to have. Or, as a third option, she could run around the room with her brother's Easter Island statue on her head.

The first and third options, however, were not looking too good. So, to stall, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"What?"

"I said, does Isabella like me?"

She turned around, her hand still on the frame. Phineas' face was barely holding back what appeared to be a look of concern, worry, and frustration all rolled into one. The book was still open in front of him, with a picture of Isabella and him building the second rollercoaster.

"What gave you that idea, Phineas?"

"Well," he started, flicking the corner of the page with his finger, "There's all these pictures of us in here. We spend a lot of time together, but I didn't know that she...treasured them so much."

"That fits her, though," Candace retorted. "She knows that you're a great friend to her."

"But is that all she thinks of _me_?" Phineas said, throwing her hands in the air. "I mean, come on now! This book is giant. And some of these photos are...well...they seem more than 'friend' to me. They're kind of obvious."

He heard a scoff come from the door and saw his sister covering her mouth with her hand. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Phineas," Candace muffled, "But you're not exactly the leading expert when it comes to noticing the obvious."

"What is _that_ suppose to mean?"

The teen begrudgingly walked back into the room, sitting herself down on Phineas' bed. "Phineas, I'm going to tell you something that you probably either don't want to hear or will blow your mind. And quite possibly both."

"Does it have to do with Isabella?" Phineas inquired.

"Yeah...yeah it does."

"Does it have to do with the book?"

"...Yeah."

"Does it have to do with her possibly liking me more than a friend?"

"Phineas, are you going to let me tell you or not?"

He held his hands up in defense. "OK, sorry. Go ahead."

Candace steadied herself, knowing that this discussion was not going to end well at all. Finally getting enough resolve, she said the words that would surely put her little brother over the edge.

"Phineas...Isabella _does _like you."

He nodded slightly, taking her statement in.

"_More_ than a friend."

"OK."

Candace was confused. Certainly she thought there would be more brain exploding in the premises, but no such organ was coming out of his body. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

Phineas glanced at her. "I've actually been sitting on this for a little bit. Like, since Christmas. Since I got her present (he pat the book in front of him). But now that I know for real, I don't have to worry about it as much."

"How do you feel about it? Isabella liking you?"

His gaze fell to the ceiling, his eyes lost in thought. "It's cool...I guess. I mean, it's been a week. I'm sure that her feelings haven't been around for long. Because it would be weird if she had been liking me for more than the week."

Uh oh.

"Why would you say that?" Candace said slowly.

"I've been friends with Isabella since we were little, Candace," her brother stated, closing the scrapbook. "I'm pretty sure I would know if she liked me for a longer period of time."

Candace silently chided herself for her earlier mistake. What she was _about_ to say was going to put Phineas over the edge.

"Yeah...about that..."

"Sis," Phineas said, narrowing her eyes at her, "_Please_ tell me that she hasn't liked me for more than the week."

Candace sat there, twiddling her thumbs, her silence speaking volumes to him.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Phineas went wide-eyed at her non-response. "How long _has_ she liked me?"

"Well," Candace responded, a finger to her chin. "Today's Saturday, so...forever."

"Forever? Like...since we were little?"

"Yeah, that long. Or at least that's what she told me."

"She _told_ you that? Oh man. This is not good." He began smacking his hand against his head. "I am such an idiot!" He grabbed the book, making a move to beat himself over the head with it.

"Phineas!" Candace yelled, grabbing her brother by the shoulders. "You need to calm down! It's not the end of the world!"

"Not the end of the world?" Phineas was hysterical at this point. "I just found out that my best friend has had a crush on me for years! How am I suppose to calm down?"

"I was just like you when Jeremy told me that he liked me. It's something that takes a while to get used to."

"But it's different, Candace! You've had a crush on Jeremy for ages, while I..." He sputtered to a stop, and Candace restarted her worries about permanent brain damage.

"You what?" she said quietly.

"I...I don't know how I feel about her."

Suddenly she understood. The anguish, the worry, all of that were similar to her emotions about Jeremy. It saddened her a little to see her brother like this, but it was a big sister's job, she thought, to help out her little brother in any way she could.

"Listen, Phineas," Candace said, scooting the book over to sit closer to him, "Let's think about it from a different way, OK? Do _you_ like _her_?"

"Of course I like her, Candace!" he yelled. "She's my best friend. Why would I not like her?"

"That is _not_ what I mean, and you know it," she retorted firmly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize there was a sliding measurable scale of 'liking' someone!"

"Duh. There's liking someone, and then there's _liking_ someone, and then there's _like-_liking someone-"

"Candace, I'm not interested in the proportion of feelings to the amount of times you use the word 'like'."

"Sorry." Getting an idea, she reached over to the book, setting it in her lap. "Let me ask another question then. Do you care about her?"

"Sis, I just said-"

"It's different, Phineas," she said, stopping him mid-sentence. "You don't have to have romantic feelings for someone to care about them. You just want what's best for them. Like Mom and Dad want for us. Like what I want for Stacy and Jeremy and all of my friends." She opened the book to the beginning and slowly began to leaf through the pages. "All of these times you hung out with her were times that she cherished. That she remembered fondly. She obviously cares about you enough to make this book and give this to you."

"Mmhmm." Phineas was carefully listening to all that she was saying, albeit rubbing his temple to probably ward off his impending headache.

"And for my point of view, you obviously care about her since you spend so much time with her. If you didn't like her on _some _degree you wouldn't do that."

He said nothing, still looking at the current photo of her and Isabella riding the carousel at the recent carnival.

"Let me ask you something, Phineas," Candace continued. "What did you get her for Christmas?"

"A new menorah for her room. One that had different colors for every candle. I made it for her."

"You made it for her? That's very thoughtful of you."

"I mean, she said she wanted a new one ages ago. I just wanted to get the right materials because some of them are only in stock for a few weeks out of the year."

Candace stopped, looking down at her brother. "You mean that you went out of your way to make sure that she got something perfect for Christmas?"

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I-"

He paused, his mouth slightly open and a look of realization gradually going over his face. Candace smiled widely; she knew that things were finally getting through to him. She put her hand on his head, ruffling his hair a little.

"You see what I'm saying, Phineas. You may like her more than you thought you did."

Her brother sat still, trying to wrap his head around his revelation. "What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know. You're not technically obligated to do anything, Phineas."

"I feel like I should do _something_, though."

"Hmm." Candace pretended to rake her brain for an idea, even though one had already entered since the realization had surfaced. "Why don't you get here something?"

"You mean, like a present?"

"Kind of. Get her something that just lets her know how much you care about her. It's doesn't have to be over the top or anything, like what you normally do. You know how much Mom says 'It's the thought that counts'? Go with something like that. And yes," Candace said, noting Phineas' getting ready to interrupt her, "You already got her a present for Christmas. I know. Just make this one a little more...personal."

Candace saw her brother start playing with his fingers, deep in thought. They started intertwining and bending, as if he was trying to solve a Rubik's cube. She also kept hearing him mutter "the thought" over and over again.

"Are you thinking of something?"

"More than thinking," Phineas said, straightening up. "I know exactly what I'm going to do!"

"That's good!" Candace wiped her brow in relief. "So...what are you doing?"

"It's a secret."

"It's—what?" She did a double take in Phineas' direction as he jumped off the bed. "Phineas, you just thought it up five seconds ago! Are you at least going to tell _me_?"

"I have to keep it a secret from everyone, Candace. Even you." He grabbed a few blueprints from his shelf, haphazardly stuffing them into his winter coat. "It's nothing against you; the surprise will be better if no one knows."

"O...K. I guess that's fine."

Phineas, having finished his rummaging, turned toward her and gave her a hug. Candace, surprised, could only hug him back in response.

"Thanks, Candace. I really needed that talk."

"No problem, kiddo," she replied, patting him on the head. "Anytime."

With that, he ran out of the room, seemingly headed outside. _Outside_, Candace thought...

"Phineas! You guys _are_ going to finish that firework thing soon, right?"

"Yeah, we are," her brother's muffled voice replied. "We'll have it taken care of."

Candace smiled slightly. She wished that she could help out a little more with Phineas' plan, but if it wanted to go it alone, that was his decision. It wasn't like her brother was incapable or anything.

The page that Phineas left on caught her attention. The photo was from atop from a tall building, Phineas hugging his pet platypus Perry, with the rest of his friends joining in the fun. It was humorous to note that Isabella had him by the waist, locking him in an embrace that seemed to be more for him and for the platypus.

And speaking of said platypus...

"Hey," Candace said aloud, looking around the room, "Where _is_ Perry?"

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>: Yeah, where is that lovable platypus?

It wouldn't be a proper Phineas and Ferb episode without some sort of Doof scheme. You'll find out about it next chapter.

Phineas and Candace's relationship is one, to me, that doesn't really get enough time in the spotlight. Yes, he drives her crazy, but they're family. And family leans on each other when problems arise. Candace is no different. And when it comes to Isabella, Candace is going to help in any way she can for her oblivious little brother.

A little Perry time is due up next chapter, along with what will appear to be a plot forming. Maybe. Can't guarantee it.

Read and review, if you like. Laters.


	3. The Plan

_**Disclaimer: **I own nothing._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3 – The Plan<strong>_

Downstairs in the kitchen, a semi-aquatic mammal walked up to the cabinets. He looked left and right, just to make sure no one was watching. Then he reared up on his hind legs and whipped a fedora out of nowhere, slapping it on his head.

The seemingly mindless platypus that his human owners knew as Perry had now become the very personification of awesome and action known as Agent P.

And it was mission time.

He checked the cutlery drawer, making sure the passageway was clear. Content, he leaped in, the drawer closing behind him with a thud.

After a few moments twisting and turning through the tunnels, he plopped down in his secret lair, a cavernous place filled to the brim with the tools and vehicles he needed to keep the world safe. His chair creaked slightly as he landed in it, and it creaked loudly when the entire contents of the silverware drawer landed all around him.

Perry sighed (or as much as he could sigh). He would have to remind Carl to fix that particular irksome issue.

He pressed the giant red button on his control panel, and an older man with white hair and a white mustache appeared on the screen, his uniform obscured by the two bottles of wine in front of him.

"_Carl!_" Major Monogram yelled at his intern off-screen. "_Which wine is suppose to go with meat again?_"

"_That depends, sir,"_ a nasally-high voice responded. "_Are you having pork, duck, lamb, beef, boar, cassoulet-?"  
><em>

"_I'm having meat tonight, Carl. That's the only thing that's important." _The major looked up from his label reading to see his best agent looking at him, patiently drumming his fingers on the panel. "_Ahh! Agent P! When did you get here? Umm..." _He sheepishly lowered the bottles out of view. _"I don't suppose that you know anything about wines, do you Agent P? My wife's cooking a New Year's Eve dinner, and she, for some reason, told me to get the wine."_

"_Sir, each wine is suppose to complement a certain dish. I did a project on it for my Fine Dining class."_

"_They have fine dining in college? Man, I'm getting too old for this sort of thing."  
><em>

"_Sir...the mission."_

"_Oh, right!" _Major Monogram cleared his throat and donned his serious voice. _"It appears that the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz's holiday spirit could not be contained for long, Agent P. He's bought up all of the springs in the Tri-State Area. We can only imagine what sort of monstrous plot that man is going to do, but the only thing that matters is that it's evil. Or at the very least mildly irritating._

"_Head to his place, Agent P, and put a stop to his plan. We _were_ going to send you off with the rocket-propelled pogo stick..."_ He held up a white and blue pogo with the O.W.C.A. initials on it for emphasis. _"But, you know, the whole spring stealing thing kind of killed it, so you'll have to make do with your regular transportation."_ He saluted his agent, who returned his gesture. _"Good luck, Agent P!"_

Perry backflipped into his aircar, and with a quick startup, he was off, ready to thwart his nemesis once again.

"_I hope Agent P 'springs' into action quickly,"_ Monogram said, chuckling to himself. _"Although he's always had somewhat of a 'bounce' in his stop. Let's hope he 'hops' into action soon."_

Carl let out a large sigh. "_Major, are you done with the puns now?"_

"_Of course not! You have to have an ample amount of puns at every opportunity! Don't they teach you that in Pun class?"  
><em>

"_My college doesn't have a Pun class, Sir."_

"_Really? And they have a Fine Dining class? What is this world coming to?"_ Major Monogram raised the bottles again, contemplating which one to have that night. After a minute, he realized...

He could care less.

_"Ahh, to heck with it! It's the last day of the year! It's party time!"_

* * *

><p>A trapdoor in the side of the chimney opened up, and Perry flew his aircar out of it, heading off to Doof's place once again. It wouldn't have mattered if he had gone through the garage escape, because even if he had, the redhead currently occupying it was too busy in his own plan to pay attention to anything else.<p>

Phineas threw his mass of blueprints onto his worktable. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number, and after a couple of rings, a voice picked up on the other end.

"_Mortimer's Molten Metal Menagerie, this is Mortimer speaking._"

"Hello, Mr. Myers, this is Phineas Flynn."

"_Hey, Phineas! How you doing today? I forgot to ask you; did that shipment of iron work out for you last week?"_

"Oh yeah, that worked out great," Phineas responded, absentmindedly walking circles in the garage. "Listen, sir, I need a favor from you. I know it's the holidays, but I was wondering if you could deliver some more stuff to me."

"_Of course, Phineas! You're my best customer! Anything for you! What can I do you for?_"

"Well, there's actually a few things..." Phineas pulled a small strip of paper and read the list to the shop owner, who he heard scratching it down onto his notepad. After he had finished, Mort came on the line again.

"_That's quite the peculiar list there, Phineas. You got something big planned?"_

"It's...kind of a long story, Sir."

"_Ahh! Never mind then. You can fill me in on the details later. Do you want that delivered now?"_

"I do, yeah, but can you deliver it sort of...discreetly? It's going to be a surprise."

"_I'll put my best man on it. Meet him in front of your house, and I'll make sure he'll be there within a half hour."  
><em>

Phineas breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much, Sir. I really appreciate it."

He heard a chuckle come from the other end. _"It's really not a problem, Phineas. I hope that she likes it."_

"Wha..." Phineas was shocked. "How did you-"

"_Phineas,"_ Mort said, cutting him off, "_When you get to be my age and a shop owner as long as I have and someone gives me a list like _that_, I know what they're doing."_

The redhead said nothing, too embarrassed to even utter a response. He heard another laugh boom over the phone.

"_I'm just teasing you, Phineas. I know she'll like it, because it'll be from you. I'll have Chad drive by with the things, all right?"_

"That's fine, Sir. Have a good day."

"_Happy New Year to you!"_

Phineas ended the call, staring at the phone as if it was an alien. It wasn't quite sure what just happened, but he was going to have what he needed soon, and he had to get busy.

Although, he realized as he started on his prep work, if his cheeks were going to continue to burn any longer, they would surely catch on fire.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> And now some semblance of a plot is forming.

This is actually my first time writing a Perry/Doof plot. I originally wasn't going to even include it in the story, but I need a little bit more background stuff happening to balance out all of the Phinbella stuff later on.

Oh, I'm sorry, did I say Phinbella stuff? Tip-off. Actually, the vast majority of the Phinbella musings are going to be a couple of chapters away. I guess you'll just have to deal with Doof and plannings and other shenanigans until then. Don't worry; keep your legs and arms inside the story at all times and I'll get you through it as painless as possible.

Read and review, if you like.


	4. The Work

**_Disclaimer: _**_Who knows that these characters don't belong to him? This guy!_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 4 – The Work<strong>_

Perry closed on the main building of Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, determined to get this mission over with as soon as possible. It was still a mystery as to why Doof would do anything today; it was well known within the organization that Doof usually took a break from his usual evil schemes for the sake of the holidays. But he drove that thought out of his mind. He had to focus.

Perry flipped out of his aircar, landing on the balcony of Doof's laboratory...and was immediately restrained by a metal coil coming from the floor, his arms pinned to the side of his body.

"Ahhh, Perry the Platypus!" The scientist exclaimed, dropping the wrench he was working with. "I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show up, with it being the holidays and all. Good to know that you are always reliable for a good trap."

Perry tried to free himself of the coil, but to no avail.

"You like my trap, Perry the Platypus? It's so simple, yet effective. I'm surprised I didn't think of it before. But enough about that." Doof paced around the room, ready to go off on one of his backstory diatribes.

"You see, Perry the Platypus, I had entirely way too many sweets for the holidays. Especially my almond brittle, even though I _looooove iiiiittt!_" Doof said with a wave of his arms. "So I packed on a few pounds over the last few days, and I was trying to find a way to get rid of them. So I came up with this!" He motioned toward the contraption that he was working on, which consisted of a large ray gun on a pedastal, metal coils wrapped around every viewable surface.

"_Behold_, Perry the Platypus! The Spring-inator!" the scientist yelled. "I bet you're wondering how it works. You see, all I have to do is shoot the laser at an object or person, and they will immediately have springs attached to the bottom of their feet. I just used it a little while ago on myself, and I got rid of all of my puppy fat! Of course, it was rather difficult to press the reverse button when you're bouncing around like a madman, but I did it!" He gingerly put a cold washcloth on the back of his head. "But not before I hit my head on the ceiling. Totally worth it, though!

"After my headache-inducing trip, I got to thinking: What if I used this as a service for a weight-loss program? All of the citizens of the Tri-State Area who wish to lose that holiday weight can get shot by the laser and pay a small, ever-so-minimal fee of _one million dollars! _Or ten dollars if they join in the next five days! I'll make money in no time!"

Perry shot him a look of exasperation, clearly not impressed with his plan.

"I know what you're thinking. Doof, why can't they just join a gym or something? Well, then they would have to go _out_ and get a _membership_ and have to visit a certain number of times a month! This is so much easier, trust me on that!" He began to push the machine toward the balcony, but the horrendous metal scraping on the floor reverberated through the room, impeding his progress.

"Man, I wish I would stop making these things without wheels. You think I would have learned from the first time." Doof was panting heavily from his short trip across the floor. "But as soon as I get this over to the edge, Perry the Platypus, you will _wish_ you had ten dollars on you!"

Perry struggled against his binds once again, but it was not coming off. No worries, though; he knew that he still had plenty of time left before he had to anything substantial.

* * *

><p>Phineas knew that he didn't have much time left.<p>

He had made great headway in his construction, though. The materials had been delivered, as promised by Mort, to the front of the house by Chad. He was lucky his compact smelting kit was still functional, having used it only a couple of times in the past year.

He wished that he had given his friends a better explanation. He had ran out to the backyard, handing over the prints of the Chinese Dragon to Ferb and told him that he would be busy doing something else for the next few hours. Ferb's eyes had never felt more penetrating until he turned and went back into the house.

But he had to drive that out of his mind. Not only did Phineas have to focus because of the very dangerous melted materials, he couldn't think about what Ferb or Isabella or anyone else were doing. All he could do was focus on making the best final product he could muster.

There was a knocking on the kitchen door, the one that he had purposefully locked in order to keep everyone out.

"Who is it?" Phineas shouted.

"It's your brother. Perhaps you would like to explain why you've locked every discernible entrance to the garage."

The redhead froze. He didn't need this, not right now. "Highly dangerous materials, Ferb. It's better if only I'm in here."

"That's a load of crud and you know it, Phineas. Open up. I need my laser wrench anyway."

Phineas slammed the lid down on his cauldron, throwing a flame-proof tarp over his entire workspace. Spotting his brother's favorite wrench near the washer and dryer, he grabbed it and walked over to the door, creaking it open slightly. Ferb's dark blue iris peered through the crack back at him.

"Did you find it?" the green-haired boy asked.

"Yeah, I did." He fit the wrench through the crack and slapped it in his hand.

"Thanks." Ferb, in a flash, fit the head between the door and the frame and twisted, launching the door open and throwing his brother back. "That's what you get for giving me a wrench. Especially one that _I_ made." He stepped through the door and was suddenly hit by a wave of hot air. It would have been intolerable if the garage was not opened a little. Not enough to even crawl under the door, but enough to let out excess air. He looked to the center of the room and saw the giant tarp covering...something. He turned to Phineas who was dusting himself off from his trip to the floor.

"Phineas...what _are_ you doing?" Ferb asked.

"I can't tell you that, bro."

"Can't?" The green-haired boy raised an eyebrow at his stepbrother. "Or won't?"

"It's a little bit of both."

"Phineas, if this has something to do with the display, you can just tell me and I can help you with it-"

"It has nothing to do with it, OK?" Phineas yelled. "It's something that's going to require my full attention for the rest of the afternoon."

Ferb flipped the wrench in between his fingers. "Phineas, you're kind of freaking me out a little. Are you sure you have to keep it a secret?"

"Ferb, you're just going to have to trust me." Phineas drummed the garage door with his fingers. "Believe you me, I _want_ to tell you. It's just...I have things that I need to figure out. And no offense to you or anyone else, but I need to do it alone. I only need to do this one thing, and I'll be back to my regular non-secretive self. Hopefully."

His brother opened his mouth again, presumably to offer another piece of advice, but Phineas was not having any of it.

"I don't really have the time for your speeches, Ferb," Phineas said, rolling up a spare piece of parchment. "This is something that I need to do, and it needs to get done today. If you want, I can put you in charge of the fireworks display. You can get it done just as easily if I was overseeing it."

"I've pretty much been in charge anyway with Isabella."

"OK, then that's fine. Just as long as she keeps busy and doesn't know that you're-"

There was a sudden knocking on the other side of the garage door, interrupting the brothers' conversation.

"Guys, are you in there?" a girl's voice said.

"Dang it, it's Isabella," Phineas whispered. This was the last thing that he needed right now. "Ferb, you have to go out there and distract her."

"Distract her?" Ferb murmured back. "I thought you didn't need my help."

"Well, I do now. All you have to do is keep her from coming inside here until I'm done."

"And how exactly am I suppose to do _that_?"

"You're Ferb, bro," Phineas retorted, pushing him toward the kitchen door. "You know everything. Just improvise." He shoved him through the door, quickly shutting the door behind him. "Isabella," he yelled, "Ferb will be out in a second."

Isabella, from her vantage point, could only hear a muffled reply from Phineas. She was about to yell back at him when his brother came through the back gate, his hat being placed back on his head.

"Ferb, what is going on in there?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ferb Fletcher," Isabella said, crossing her arms, "You have ten seconds to tell me what is going on in the garage or I'm going to go in there myself."

"..." The boy was being unusually tight-lipped, even by his standards.

"The garage door won't open more than it is already, and the door from the kitchen is locked," Isabella continued. "That usually adds up to something top-secret, and if it's about the display, wouldn't it be more advantageous for at least _me_ to know about it?"

"..." Another no-response from Ferb.

Isabella sauntered up to him, her most dangerous expression set on her face. "Ferb...why don't you tell me what's going on?"

"Because it's a surprise."

Isabella reeled around to see Phineas coming through the backyard gate and simultaneously backed away from Ferb. "What do you mean, a surprise?"

He scratched the back of his ear, desperately trying to think of something that would shift her suspicion elsewhere. "We...umm..." He looked to Ferb, who wisely cut into the conversation.

"It's a special firework that he's working on, Isabella."

"What?" Phineas was not prepared for that.

"Yes, _Phineas,_" Ferb emphasized. "Stop trying to be modest. I know you didn't want to tell anyone, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Phineas tried his very best to play along with his ruse. "You see, Isabella, there's a special firework that we're going to set off in the park, but it's not ready yet. And no offense to you, but I was trying to keep it a secret from everyone."

"It's true," Ferb added. "I just found out now by accident. I wouldn't have even known otherwise."

"It's sort of my gift to Danville for the New Year, you see?" Phineas continued. "I just wanted to work on it by myself, but Ferb sort of ran into it, so that's why he knows now."

Isabella looked at both of the boys, their information sinking in. "You could have just told me, Phineas. I wouldn't have mentioned it to anyone."

"No, I know you would have stayed quiet. I never intended to make you feel bad." Phineas put a hand on her shoulder, noting it was shaking quite a bit (although now he could probably fathom a reason why). "Can you forgive me?"

Isabella's smile was a welcome sight to his eyes. "Of course, Phineas. I know your intentions were good. And I didn't mean to give you the third-degree, Ferb," she added to his brother. "I guess my curiosity got the better of me."

Ferb gave her a thumbs-up, his way of silently accepting her apology.

"Of course, now that you know," Phineas said, leaning in closer, "It would be appreciated if you didn't mention it to anyone else. It'll be...our little secret, OK?"

Phineas saw Isabella's face light up as he said this, her expression the exact opposite of earlier. "OK! Our little secret." She giggled a little, which made Phineas' stomach flip-flop in his belly. Now that he was actually paying attention to her a little more, it was a wonder that he didn't catch on to Isabella's feelings earlier. Or...when he was six. Or...ever, for that matter.

BOOM!

A sudden commotion from the backyard caught the attention of the trio. White smoke was billowing over the fence, along with the smell of burnt fabric.

"What in the world was that?" Phineas asked.

"Oh, while you were in the garage, we were testing the propulsion turrets of the fireworks display. This is the last test to do before we start on the control panel construction."

"And what have you been testing the propulsion with?"

"You know, the usual." Isabella ticked off the items with her fingers. "Fruit, pillows, the occasional Fireside Girl troop member."

"Wait, what?"

Ferb silently stretched his arms out, and from out of the sky, a small mass came careening down into his grasp. A helmeted, bespectacled mass.

"Chief, for the record, even though I drew the shortest straw, we may want to consider a more diversified selection technique." Gretchen coughed out a little smoke after her statement.

"Would you prefer 'Eeney, Meeny, Miney, Moe', Gretchen?" Isabella smirked.

"I said _more_ diversified, Chief, not elementary."

Two head appeared over the fence, belonging to Holly and Ginger. "Oh hey, that's where you went, Gretchen," Holly said. "We didn't see where you went because of the smoke."

"I'm fine, Holly," Gretchen replied as she was gently set down by Ferb. "Although we may want to recalibrate the trajectory of those turrets."

"Which we can do right now," Isabella interjected, checking her watch. "We only have a few hours left before this had to get to the park, so let's get moving, girls."

Holly and Ginger ducked behind the fence, yelling instructions to the other kids. The other two girls made their way through the gate and shut it behind them. Phineas turned toward his brother to mention something else, but the second-in-command poked her head back through the gate, looking at Ferb.

"Oh, and Ferb? Thanks for the...umm...catch." The red scarf around her neck only highlighted the blush coming across her cheeks. It was a sight that Phineas was beginning to relate to. She moved back out of sight, the gate closing behind her.

"Well, now that that's settled," Phineas started, but the sharp poke of Ferb's finger cut him off.

"Do _not_ make me do that again."

"Do what, Bro?"

"Lie to Isabella, that's what." Ferb's face was stern, a complete contrast of his usual demeanor. "I only did it because I'm worried about you, OK? Look, whatever you need to do in the garage, get it _done_. But don't expect me to lie for you again, all right?"

"I'm...not asking you to. Not again."

Ferb turned on the spot and went to the gate himself, opening it rather assertively. Pausing for a moment, he looked back at his brother.

"Whatever you _are_ doing in there, Phineas (pointing to the garage), it had better be worth it." With that, he slammed the gate closed, which would have been displeased by the work it was putting in within the past few minutes.

Phineas stood still for a moment, lost in thought. He brought the sheet of parchment from earlier out of his pocket and unfolded it. Bringing it up to his eyes, he stared at the hand-drawn picture, one that he had sketched only a short while ago.

"...You and me both, Ferb. You and me both."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Ferb does _not_ like lying. Let's just leave it at that.

And no, I can't tell you what Phineas is doing. That would remove the surprise, wouldn't it?

Some people may be wondering as to why I've decided to go with Ferb being somewhat talkative in this story. Well...Ferb not speaking in a cartoon is much easier to do than in a written format. Can't rely on actions that much or facial expressions (not that Ferb has a wide array of facial expressions, but still). So, I figure he talks, but just not as much as the normal person does. Or when he's only with Phineas or a few people at a time.

The Doof part will be wrapped up next chapter, as well as everything else before we head to the park for the final few chapters. Doof and Perry were never meant to be a _huge_ part of this story; the main focus will be Phineas and Isabella.

The next two chapters after that will be the longest so far. That can mean only good things for _you_, the reader.

Read and review, if you like.


	5. The Move

Due to some weird thing with my computer and the site, I was unable to read any of my reviews for a little bit. But now that I've finally gotten that settled, I've read everything, and I must say...I wasn't expecting this amount of great responses. Then again, I never do. Thank you to everyone who's read the story and taken the time to review. I hope that these next few chapters will not let you down.

**_DISCLAIMER: _**_Everything in this story related to P&F is owned by the people at P&F. Not PB&J, not S&P, P&F._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 5 – The Move<strong>_

Perry had been trying for the better part of an hour to free himself of the spring trap that Dr. Doofenshmirtz had set up for him. Actually, he tried for about five minutes and knew that he could easily escape from it; he wanted to see just how much headway Doof could make before he had to intervene.

With a final heave, Doof managed to get the Inator into firing position. He brought a dishtowel to his head, wiping his brow with it. "Man, I am going to be so fit after this, I won't even need to use it on myself! All of the ladies will love me!"

Perry could only roll his eyes in response.

"Now, Perry the Platypus, tremble in fear as I cause the citizens of the Tri-State Area to re-'coil' in fear! Hehe, that was pretty good, if I do say so myself. It's a good thing I took those Pun classes, wouldn't you sAAAHH!"

Perry took this moment to leap out of his spring trap and clock Doof in the face, causing him to reel back.

"Perry the Platypus, how did you escape from your trap?"

The monotreme picked up the coil and smushed it, showing Doof how wide it could be made. There was more than enough room for Perry to just jump out.

"Ahh, so that's how! I guess if it was a simple trap to get in, it was a simple trap to get out! I should really take that into consideration next time I-" Another punch to the face cut him off, slamming him into the Inator...

And careening it over the side of the balcony.

"What? Noooooo! It took me all day to move it over here, and now it's moving a larger distance than what I did. Granted mine was horizontal distance and this is vertical distance but I'm getting lost in the details." He wheeled on Perry, who was making his way out of the front door. "You get back here, Perry the Platypus, and pay for what you've-"

Little did he notice the second step he took was on the very spring Perry had been trapped in. It squeezed under his foot and then sprung up, sending the evil scientist barreling through this air, right at an unsuspecting robot walking through the doorway.

"Look, sir, I fixed my hamster wheel. It is all pristine."

WHAM!

At least it was pristine, before Doof's head got wedged into it.

"Oh dear." Norm would have frowned if he had the capacity to do so. "Now where will Hammy go?"

"I don't have time for your weirdness, Norm," Doof retorted. After a moment, he added, "And _curse you, Perry the Platypus!_"

"But sir, Perry isn't even here right now."

"I know that, Norm, but it's still kind of my thing to say that. Now can you please help me get my head out of your chest?"

Had his head been out of the current robot, he would have noticed the green flash that had shot out from the Inator, just as it hit the ground.

Phineas closed the last cabinet, having finished his project. It had taken a little bit longer than he had originally thought, but he hoped that Isabella would appreciate it all the better. All of the raw materials had been used, the tools had been put away, and the garage was back at its normal, non-humid temperature.

It was a good thing too, because not only would any more time lost on this project be more suspicious to everyone else, he knew his parents would be home soon, and the car needed to go in the garage.

Phineas opened the door to the backyard, just as the final nail appeared to have been driven into the structure. He was quick to note that Baljeet was making his way down from the air, a parachute deployed on his back.

"You are lucky Ginger gave me this chute, Buford, or else you would have had to explain my obviously serious injuries to my mother!"

Perhaps this wasn't the best time to try to figure out exactly _how_ Baljeet got into the chute.

Phineas walked up to his brother, who was gazing at the blueprint one last time to make sure everything was all right. "Everything OK out here, Bro?"

Ferb only nodded in response, eyes skimming the paper. Phineas could tell that he was still slightly peeved at him for earlier, and an apology was due on his part.

"Ferb," he whispered to his brother, but he held a hand up to the redhead, cutting him off.

"Save it," Ferb hushed back. "I don't want to hear it."

"But Bro-"

"You don't have to explain, Phineas. It was crass of me to yell at you earlier. I should know that you would have a very good reason to go off on your own and not tell any of us. Even _if_ it makes me feel a little uneasy." Ferb glanced at him. "I apologize for my earlier behavior."

"It's not your fault. I was pretty out of character myself. I thought I could just go off and it would be fine. I should be the one apologizing."

"Well then," Ferb quipped, looking up at the finished display, "Let's say that we both apologized and leave it at that."

Phineas smiled. "Sounds good to me." He saw that Baljeet had landed and was being assisted in getting untangled out of his chute by Ginger. "Do...I even want to know?"

"...Probably not."

BEEP BEEP!

"Hey, Mom's home!" Phineas shouted. "I'm going to go see if she needs any help. The delivery guy should be here any minute to take the display out. Keep an eye out for him, OK?"

Ferb nodded again.

"Thanks, Bro. I'll be right back." He headed back inside to meet his mother.

The green-haired boy, in the meantime, garnered the attention of everyone else and began to discuss how they would move the contraption to the inbound truck. Huddled close together, they failed to notice the incoming laser that struck the machine, glowing bright green before dissipating.

"Did you hear something, guys?"

"The only thing I hear, Fanboy, is the sound of your nerdness rubbin' off on me."

"There is a little bit of nerd in all of us, Buford. Even you."

"...Oh don't even joke like that, 'Jeet."

"Hehehehehe."

"Candace," Isabella said, noticing one more person than normal in their huddle, "What are you doing out here?"

The redheaded teen giggled a little more before straightening up. "Mom's going to be out here in a minute, and when she sees this thing, you guys are going to be so-"

BOING!

All of a sudden, the fireworks display jumped off of the ground, the build up tension of the giant spring beneath it vaulting it into the air. Candace sat there, eyes wide open.

"Candace, you were saying?"

"Umm...guys?" She pointed in the direction of the currently airborne machine, and the kids followed her finger to spy it themselves.

"...That is odd." Isabella turned to Ferb, clearly confused. "I didn't know the blueprints came with springs on the bottom."

Ferb opened the blueprint again, Baljeet looking over his shoulder to peer at it. "It does not appear to be included _in_ the plans, Isabella."

The troop leader turned to Gretchen. "Quick, Gret, where is that thing going?"

The second-in-command already had her protractor out, fiddling with the angle arm. "According to its trajectory and velocity, Chief, it looks like it's headed toward...the park."

Everyone stood in stunned silence, both bemused and speechless by the turn of events.

"Well." Ferb's quiet tone cut through the chilly wind. "That certainly simplifies moving it downtown."

* * *

><p>In the midst of the park, there was a farmer and his wife bickering with each other about the set-up for the celebration.<p>

"I can't believe you offered to be in charge of the party here, but you didn't make any plans to pick up the fireworks display," the woman yelled. "What did you think, a giant fireworks display was just going to fall out of the sky?"

The man said nothing to her, only checking his watch and counting down. "Three...two...one..."

WHAM!

Phineas and Ferb's giant display came crashing down behind them, the spring that was used to launch it into the air snapping under the velocity. The woman looked at the suprise guest, then back to her husband.

"Should I even be questioning this anymore?"

"No," the man said, smiling to himself, "Not really."

* * *

><p>"Uh huh. That's great!" Isabella was busy on the phone with the party coordinator, feigning disbelief that a giant fireworks display would suddenly come out of nowhere. "Yeah, we figured we would get it there early to avoid any sort of confusion."<p>

The crowd of kids giggled at her, barely able to contain their laughter.

"Yes, we'll see you there tonight, Sir. Bye bye." Isabella hung up the phone, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh well, I guess we can't figure these things out. At least the display got there, right?"

Candace could only slap her face in response.

Linda poked her head out of the back door, Phineas trailing behind her. "Candace, didn't you have something to show me?"

The teen sighed loudly. "Never mind. It's not here anymore."

"All right, then, if you say so." She looked at the group of kids in the backyard. "Now, who wants snacks?"

"_I do!_" The party ran into the open door, ready to enjoy some food before the big party. Candace sauntered in slowly behind them, but not before seeing Phineas staying at the door, staring at where the large machine used to be.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" he asked his sister.

"No, you probably don't." Candace looked down at him, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Did you finish your thing for Isabella?"

"Yeah. Now I just got to figure out what I'm going to say to her."

"Phineas." She got down on her knee, her earlier mood shifting from disappointment to concern. "Don't worry about it. You'll know what to say to her. You're a smart kid; you'll figure it out."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Candace."

"Not a problem, kiddo." She stood back up, ruffling his hair again. "Now come on. I think we got some food calling our name."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>: As a reminder, Doof and Perry were never meant to be more than filler for this story. Maybe when I make a somewhat more streamlined story, they'll make up a larger part of it. For now, however, that part will end here.

And _now,_ ladies and gents, is where we get to the meat of the story. This part coming up is the very first thing I thought of when brainstorming it. There will probably be very, very large amounts of fluff and what-have-you in it, so be warned.

Read and review, if you like. See you tomorrow.


	6. The Thought

_**Disclaimer: **1.) If there is one author's note you have to read, it's the one following this chapter. Please take the time to do so when you get finished with this chapter._

_2.) As a note, this time period I'm writing about in the story is a year later than the holidays of the in-show continuity. So everyone is a year older (11 to 12-ish for the kids). Sorry for any confusion; it's something that I should have said straight away._

_3.) Oh yeah, and I still don't own anything._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 6 – The Thought<strong>_

Phineas sat in the backseat, his gaze out the window and his mind not in the car with his body. The gift that he had spent the better part of the day working on was safely in his jacket pocket. Thank goodness it was in his right one, because the person he was planning on giving it to was sitting to his left.

The entire Flynn-Fletcher family (plus Isabella) had piled into the car, making their way downtown to the park and the subsequent party. Phineas knew that everyone in town would be there, but the final part of his plan was going to make sure he and Isabella were alone. Sneaking away from his friends was almost impossible; sneaking away from his parents was going to be an entirely different matter.

Linda parked the car, and turned to the backseat. "All right, are you four ready to have a good time?"

"Don't you mean three, Mom?"

She looked behind her seat to see Candace had already exited the vehicle, making a beeline toward the form of her boyfriend, Jeremy. "I would think that she would've at least waited for her family. How silly of me."

"Well, you know her, dear," Lawrence said, getting out of his side, "She's been worried about today for a while now. We can only hope she will still be sane in the new year."

"Sane? _Our_ daughter?" Linda chuckled softly. "You must be talking about someone else's daughter."

They caught up to Candace, who was busy holding hands with Jeremy.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Flynn, how are you guys doing?" Jeremy said with a wave of his other hand.

"Fine, fine," Linda replied. "How about yourself? Are your parents around?"

"Good. They're right over there." He pointed over his shoulder, where his parents and sister were mingling with a few of the other adults. "I didn't happen to see Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro. Is she not coming?"

"Unfortunately, no. Vivian broke her leg a couple of days ago tripping over a rampart dreidel at her company's Hanukkah party, so she's staying home tonight. I did bring Isabella with us, though. Wouldn't want to miss this, would you, Isabella?"

"Not in the world, Mrs. Flynn," the Mexican-Jewish girl answered.

"Well, Candace and I are going to walk around for a little bit. If I don't see you guys in a few, Happy New Year!" He walked off with his girlfriend, being waved off by Linda and Lawrence.

The group made their way to the center of activity, the parents waving to their friends as they passed. Phineas saw people he had only recognized in passing: fans who had shown up to see the many events he and Ferb had made to pass the time. His parents certainly seemed to know them, but the formal greetings were starting to bore him.

That's when he knew he had to act.

Phineas tugged on his mother's jacket. "Hey, Mom, is it all right if we go hang out with our friends?"

Linda looked down at her son. "That's fine, Phineas; just don't go wandering off too far. We only have about an hour left until the New Year."

He nodded his assent, grabbing Isabella's hand as he led her away from the group, Ferb following closely behind.

"Phineas, what is going on?" the girl asked. "You've been quiet ever since we left the house. Is everything OK?"

He did not immediately respond to her question, instead turning toward his brother. "Ferb, I really hate to ask you this, but can you make sure that Mom and Dad don't come looking for us?"

Ferb wordlessly nodded, giving him one of his signature thumbs-up.

"Thanks, Bro." Phineas set off through the clearing, almost dragging a baffled Isabella behind her. Ferb did not have time to think about what exactly Phineas was planning, because a shout came from his left.

"Yo, Ferbo!"

Ferb turned to see the rest of his friends walking toward him, dressed in their winter attire. Baljeet stared at the green-haired boy, while simultaneously avoiding a headlock attempt by Buford.

"Ferb, you seemed to be a little distracted this evening. Is everything all right?"

"I really wish people would stop asking that question," Ferb retorted. "It makes me feel like I should be worrying about something."

"Well, are you?"

"I'm fine, Baljeet."

Irving looked up from his notebook, missing the exchange between the Indian boy and British kid. "Have you seen Phineas and Isabella?"

"Yeah," Adyson said, "We haven't seen Isabella since earlier in the afternoon."

"They, uh..." Now it was Ferb's turn to try to think of something believable. "They went to check the display one last time. Just to makes sure that the launch didn't damage anything. But they wanted to tell you guys not to worry about it. Just relax and enjoy the last few moments of the year."

"Can't complain against that," Holly replied, stretching her arms out. "C'mon, guys, that snack bar's catching my eye."

The rest of the group followed in line towards the long table, leaving Ferb by himself for the moment. It was a good thing that everyone had believed him; he wasn't sure if some of them were going to question his alibi.

"Ahem."

Oh yeah. It looked like someone was going to do just that.

Ferb peered to his left, where Gretchen had her hand on his arm, her earmuffs entirely way too large, but only exacerbating the stern, non-believing look that she was giving him.

He sighed loudly. He hated talking this much; he found it much more sufficient to let Phineas do all of the discussion on a daily basis. Today had tired him out, that was for sure. And it didn't help that Gretchen was giving him the silent treatment, something that he was abnormally good at. "You know, I'm usually the quiet one of the group."

"Ferb," Gretchen said quietly, "Is everything all right? Really?"

He looked back over his shoulder, to the place where Phineas and Isabella had departed. It had not taken a rocket scientist to figure out a basic idea of what his brother had been planning. The secrecy, the lying, the work that Phineas had to do alone. The biggest hint had been the way he was acting around Isabella. He was more nervous, more hesitant. Perhaps he had finally seen the light about how the girl had thought about him.

Or maybe he was just going through an awkward stage.

The only thing that he knew _for sure_ was that Phineas would not have gone through all of the trouble that afternoon for nothing. If this was indeed the night he would say something to Isabella, he was going to make sure that everything in his power would be perfect. He was scrupulous like that, almost to a fault. Too perfect, in fact, for Ferb to figure out what exactly Phineas had been making in the garage; the redhead had done such an excellent job cleaning up that Ferb's inspection before leaving for the park yielded nothing.

"Do you ever get the feeling," Ferb started, looking at Gretchen, "that something big is going to happen, and yet you have no idea what it is?"

"It _is_ New Year's Eve, Ferb. There's probably a lot of things that are going to happen that are deemed 'big'. Even a great mind like yours can't know about all of them."

"...That doesn't necessarily make me feel any better."

Gretchen straightened her glasses and rubbed her hands together. It was clear that she was not a fan of the cold. Ferb made a note to give her some better mittens for her birthday.

"My grandmother always tells me," she said, "that one person can have all of the knowledge in the world and yet still have nothing. I suppose it was her way of saying that having too much of something is a bad thing."

"Your grandmother sounds like a smart person."

"Oh, she is," Gretchen replied, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "With a name like Minerva, I guess you would have to have _some_ sort of sensational brainpower. Otherwise, you would need to be named after another Roman goddess."

Ferb chuckled, not believing a joke had actually been uttered from her mouth.

"The point, Ferb, is that perhaps it's better that you don't know what's about to happen. Just as I probably am not going to know what's happening tonight."

He raised an eyebrow at her, relishing the fact that he wouldn't have to talk for a bit.

Gretchen looked at him, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm worried about Isabella, that's all. She's been somewhat troubled about Phineas all afternoon. She was talking to me during the entire construction. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but I suppose she was guessing that Phineas just wanted to get the display done and over with. It _did_ take a little bit longer than usual, with him not being there and all."

Ferb did not answer, checking around to make sure his parents were still within sight.

"They're not checking the display, are they?"

His eyes whipped back to her, startled. "What makes you say that?"

Gretchen smiled for the first time that night. "Because, Ferb, if there's two things that I know about the Flynn-Fletcher family, is that they don't go back to _check_ things. They accomplish things the first time."

Ferb was impressed. "And the second thing?"

"They're all horrible liars."

"How did you know I was lying?"

"You...uh...sort of shuffle your feet when you're telling a lie. That's something that I...have observed." Her face was growing more pink by the second, and Ferb could tell it had nothing to do with the cold.

"So, Gretchen," he said, feeling his own face heat up, "Since you have such an observant mind, and you have evidence in front of you, what is your conclusion on what Phineas and Isabella are doing?"

Gretchen squinted, thinking hard. "Well, since you clearly stated that they're in each other's company right now, and you're covering for them so no one else would know...I would say they're engaging in some sort of romantic activity." She blew on her hands again. "As to exactly _what_...I don't know. Then again, I probably shouldn't know. It's their business, right?"

"Yes, that was my observation as well," Ferb agreed. "I hope that it does go well. I would think that you would be happy for her if that was the case."

"Oh, I am, believe you me." Gretchen shook her hands, trying to get some warmth into them. "I'm actually elated; it's just that these gloves are not optimally holding in my body heat right now."

"Take these."

She looked up to see Ferb offering his own gloves to her. "Are...you sure?"

"Trust me," Ferb replied, feeling a smile come across his face, "We may not have had the coldest winters in London, but they're much worse compared to Danville's."

Gretchen took them, slipping them over her hands. The difference was immediate; her fingers were instantly warm. "Thank you, Ferb," she mumbled, her blush deepening even further.

"Not a problem." He looked toward the snack table, which was currently being overrun by Buford, Baljeet and Irving trying to restrain him from eating any more. "Perhaps we should try to get some food before Adyson has to take matters into her own hands."

"Agreed."

Ferb and Gretchen made haste to their friends, but not before he took one final glimpse back toward the clearing. If he was correct (and he usually was), Phineas would need a lot more than secretive plans and lies to get through this night in one piece. Or maybe his brother knew that already. In any case, it certainly wouldn't help to send him some good mojo.

"...Good luck, Phineas," Ferb mumbled to himself. "On _whatever_ you're doing."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Lots and lots of stuff that I want to comment on this chapter, but I won't hog this AN with more of my feelings on the content. I will just say this: Ferb and Gretchen will have their own time in the spotlight. It just won't be this story.

Anyways...slight change of plans.

If you are indeed reading this, it is either very early in the morning or you're just waking up and seeing this and thinking "Hey, that's a early update."

Well, that's because it is. Chapter 6 became so freaking long because of stuff I added in and because of time constraints, so I've decided to split it. This chapter will be the new Chapter 6, and the original second half of Chapter 6 will be Chapter 7.

Which brings up an interesting conundrum.

This is a New Year's Eve fic. Without spoiling too much, there's a point in the fic that falls on the passing on New Year's Eve, and it kind of _has_ to fall on it. However, I'm hampered on writing time. So, it's going to be interesting to see whether I can get the amount of story I want to _get done_ done before the RL New Year's Eve or not.

If I don't comment any further on the subject, then I got everything completed.

If I do...then...you'll know.

Read and review, if you like.


	7. The Gift

Nothing says 3 AM like another update to the story. Chapter 8 will be up sometime in the afternoon, I promise. But in the meantime...enjoy.

_**Disclaimer:** All characters and places in Phineas and Ferb are the property of the creators and Disney Channel._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 7 - The Gift<strong>_

"Phineas, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"How come you said that weirdly?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Phineas had left his brother to qualm any sort of worries his friends or parents may have had if they noticed him gone. He was currently dragging Isabella toward the spot he was planning to talk to her, but it was clear Isabella would need some explanation first.

"Phineas," she said, wrenching her hand out of his grasp, "What is going on?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"What, exactly?"

"That's the thing. I need a comfortable spot."

Isabella stopped next to the face of a cliff, trying to catch her breath. "Don't you think this is far enough?"

Phineas leaned next to her, somewhat out of breath himself. "Horizontally, yes. Vertically, no."

"...What do you mean, 'vertically'?"

He smiled at her, then pressed the side of the cliff.

And the ground began to move up.

"What in the..." Isabella grabbed Phineas' arm, not believing her eyes. "I didn't know there was an elevator to the top of the cliff here."

"There wasn't. At least, not this morning there wasn't."

The lift continued up for a bit until it came to a stop at the top of the cliff. Facing the party up top was an ordinary park bench, devoid of the recent snow that had fallen. It seemed almost out of place up here, and so did the sudden warmth.

"I took the liberty of putting a few space heaters into the ground up here," Phineas said, answering her question. "Just so that we're not freezing our butts off up here."

Isabella slowly walked toward the bench, taking off her heavy jacket. She certainly wouldn't need it while they were here. Her sweater would suffice. Phineas plunked himself down to her right, his jacket folded beside him.

Then she looked out through the clearing.

They were not extraordinarily high up, but it was enough to get a great view of the entire party about a quarter mile away. The giant TV had been set up behind the fireworks display, beaming in the New Year's celebration being held in New York. The people below were mere specks from their vantage point, their conversations lost to the wind. The night sky, when Isabella looked up, was clear, not a cloud covering the numerous amount of stars that were out.

"Wow." Isabella was struck by how serene the view was. "This is so beautiful."

"Yeah," Phineas agreed, "It is."

They sat together for a moment, just enjoying the sight. Realizing that he was there with her for a reason, Phineas quickly turned toward her.

"So...um...I needed to talk to you about something."

"Yes, I guessed as much," Isabella replied, looking into his eyes, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have dragged me out here."

"Right." He felt for sure that his chest was going to burst open, and he hadn't even started yet. This was going to be a long night if he didn't get some sort of ball rolling.

"You know how...people hang out together for a long time, and they're really good friends, but one of them has a sort of...epiphany?"

Isabella tilted her head slightly, still looking at him. "What do you mean, epiphany?"

"You know, like one of them realizes something important and it's a wonder how they didn't know about whatever they didn't know because it should have been blatantly obvious?"

"...Phineas, you're speaking mumbo-jumbo. Why don't you take a breath and relax?"

Well, _that_ wasn't going to happen. The relaxing, anyway.

He attempted a sigh anyway, seeing that it did a minute amount of calming. Only about a few thousand of these and he would be at an acceptable level of calm. Too bad he didn't have that kind of time. Time to go to Plan B.

"Here, let me do something. Just...stay right there." He held both of his hands up and reached around to the back of the bench.

"Phineas, I can't exactly go anywhere. You took me up here with your elevator, remember? I don't-Where did you get that?" She saw that Phineas had pulled out a guitar.

"Magic?"

"Or it was here the entire time."

"Can't fool you, can I?" he quipped, tuning the string as a way to keep his shaking hands busy.

Isabella couldn't take it anymore, it seemed. "Phineas..._what is going on_? You've been distant all afternoon, you go off on your own to build something that we all could've helped you on, you drag me up here and pull out a guitar and...I..."

She trailed off, her eyes opening wider with each passing second. Phineas knew that this was the time to tell her.

"Isabella, I just want you to sit back and relax. Don't try to talk. _Don't_," he added, seeing her open her mouth. "If I don't get this out now, I'm going to go crazy. Just...listen, OK?"

She sat back, her hands now trembling like his own.

"I had this whole speech planned about what I was going to say to you tonight, because today I realized...well...that perhaps that you and I are...something great. And as I was working on my project...the more and more I felt something start to come up in my mind. Something other than the friendship we have. The good times we've had.

"And I wrote all of it down and practiced it in the mirror and that's when I knew...that wasn't me. So, Isabella," he continued, setting his guitar in his lap, "I'm going to tell you something. And it will be in the best way I know how."

Phineas started strumming on the guitar. It was just a simple chord; nothing too complicated was needed. And now was the time for the words. He had always prided himself in the ability to write a song on a moment's whim. But this was different. Most times, he had a crowd to please.

But now...he only had an audience of one.

He took a deep breath, and started singing:

_The thought that I am going to try to elaborate,_

_Is one I didn't think about until the time was late._

_But it's a thought I never thought to think about, to view,_

_Because the very thing that I am talking 'bout...is you._

He checked to make sure she was still with her; her eyes were glazed over, her hands clasped together, fully enjoying the moment. He continued onward, using the same strum:

_We've been in each other's company for what seems to be forever,_

_Those times were filled with happiness; an ever long-lasting endeavor,_

_But it seems to me that something's changed in my mind, a thought anew._

_And now I wasted enough of the night; it's time for me to say...to you._

And now the kicker.

_Here is the thing I've wanted to say, and know that this is true..._

And here we go.

_I love being around you..._

He drew out the last syllable in the line, seeing Isabella's immediate jubilant reaction. Her eyes were beginning to water, and her smile was infectious. And this was just the first part. He was all ready to start his second verse.

And then the most wondrous thing happened.

Isabella cut in. Her sweet voice filled the air, supplementing the song.

_To me, you took up all your time to try to write a song,_

_But you didn't take into account that I would sing along,_

_For every time we come together, it makes me feel brand new._

_And now that I've got your attention, here's what I will say...to you._

She flipped her hair back behind her ear, blushing profusely. It took all of Phineas' willpower to keep playing his guitar. Isabella continued onward:

_You remember the time you took your bike and made it into a jet?_

_I told you that your math was off..._

Phineas rolled his eyes, smiling. "Yeah, that's one I won't forget."

_And the day that you gave me the greatest sundae the world have ever seen._

_Could you imagine me eating it all?_

"Yeah, that would have been a scene."

_Every day we spend together is one I cherish forever,_

_And I agree with you on this; it's an ever long-lasting endeavor._

_I know it's time to say my part; in my heart I always knew,_

_That this is the thing I wanted to say...  
><em>

She breathed in deeply, her next words the strongest she would say that night.

_I love being around you...too._

Hearing her say that was the best thing that Phineas could have ever hoped for. His heart leapt in his throat, threatening to jump out if he sang any further.

But he had to. Because now, like so many times before, he had a singing partner.

Phineas and Isabella, as if by magic, sang together the final part:

_Through all the times we've been together, the memories we recall._

_The coasters, the lasers, the robots galore; we know we've been through it all._

_But now on the eve of a brand new year, it's time to make an oath._

_To the people we care about most of all..._

"To you." Phineas said.

"To you." Isabella mirrored at the same time.

_To both._

_And now we end the tune with a phrase we now know to be true..._

The two of them looked into each other's eyes, that magical connection knowing what exactly to say.

_I love being around you._

The note was held for a while, and with one final strum, the song was done, the air quiet once again.

Phineas thought that once he had finished, the uneasiness in his body would subside; unfortunately, all it seemed to do was exacerbate it even more. He put the guitar back down on the ground, getting ready for the second part of his plan.

But not before Isabella had launched over to him, wrapping him in a bear hug. He put his arms around her waist with just as much force.

No words were uttered. No gestures were needed. There was only the two of them, enjoying the moment that they had created. This was a moment that Phineas would never forget.

And speaking of "moments", this was the time for the second part.

"Isabella," he said, gingerly straightening her up, "I know that you're probably processing a lot of stuff right now, but I need to give you something."

"Give me something?" she repeated. "You've already given me the song; what else do you need to do?"

Phineas rummaged through his coat laying next to him. "I thought that this would be the cap to the evening. It's a little thing that I thought up."

"Phineas, you didn't have to get me anything else. That menorah you made for Christmas was wonderful enough."

"I know. I just felt like I needed to give you something...else."

"Else?"

Now she noticed that Phineas was turned around to her, holding out his hand. In it was a long wooden box, about half a foot long and tied in red ribbon. It would have been mundane had it not looked like it had been hand-carved. She gingerly took it out of his hands, running her fingers around the top.

"Am I allowed to guess what it is?"

Phineas shrugged, desperately trying to calm his heartbeat. "If you want to, but it's probably better off that you just open it."

"Is it a pair of chopsticks that tear through dimensions?"

"No."

"Is it a pen that writes in seven different languages and twelve colors?"

"No."

"It's not another miniature airplane that's going to pick up Pinky and put him in the pool again, right?"

"Like I said last summer," Phineas said, stifling a chuckle, "That was an error in the programming. I didn't mean for it to do that."

"Is it-"

"Isabella!" He cut her off, holding his hands out. "Just...open it. Please."

"Okay." She started to untie the bow around the box, still attempting to grasp what could be in the box. "But if it's another airplane, I'm going to hit you."

"It's not another airplane. Although, you still may want to hit me after opening it," Phineas mumbled to himself.

"Phineas, I was just joking. I would never hit you," Isabella said, creaking the lid open. "Why would you ever think-"

Her sentence came to a screeching halt, her mouth still open as she stared at the contents of the box. Phineas peered over the lid, glanced at Isabella, and pointed at the object inside.

"...I'm going to say because of that."

"That" was a necklace, the chain made entirely out of pure silver. Phineas had covered it with a special coating so that it would not rust. The pendant hanging from it was small and egg-shaped, also made out of silver. The ornate stencil carving that adorned it had been filled in with some sort of pink liquid, appearing almost translucent in nature. A flower cutting was on the top on it, the petals the same light pink color.

And now that it was seeing the outside air for the first time instead of the dankness of the garage, it seemed to shine in an otherworldly fashion.

"Oh my gosh."

Isabella's first words after opening the box appeared ...good. At least to Phineas, anyway. It was hard to tell between the damp cheeks and blush on her neck, but the response looked well enough.

"This is...oh my gosh." Isabella's motor ability seemed inclined to repeat that phrase every few seconds. "This is so beautiful, Phineas. I don't even know what to say."

He smiled, knowing full well the best part was yet to come. "And you haven't even opened the locket yet."

"Wait, it opens?"

And now Phineas was even more nervous. "Yes, it does."

Seeing a tiny latch on the side of it, she unlocked it, flipping the locket open with a trembling hand.

And was shut up for a second time.

On the left half of the locket was a five-year-old Isabella, in a pink t-shirt and overalls, on what appeared to be a swing. On the right side was Phineas, the same age as she, in his blue shirt and matching overalls, pushing her.

And they both had huge smiles on their faces.

Isabella traced the outline of the pictures with her finger, stunned. Feeling a rough texture, she lifted her hand to see cursive around the borders of the photos.

**_Isabella Ariel Garcia-Shapiro_**

**_Phineas Jeremiah Flynn_**

The lettering was ornate, meticulous. Phineas recalled it being somewhat of a pain to do writing that small, but he thought that it had come out great. He was lost in recollecting that, so he missed the thing that Isabella was whispering.

"Sorry, what?"

"...You remembered."

"Oh, that." Phineas rubbed the back of his head. "I heard you mention your middle name once before, but I kind of had to call your mom to confirm-"

"No, not that." Isabella was staring at her younger self, lost in thought. "I mean, yeah, that too. But...I can't believe you remembered this."

She pointed to the two photos, finally looking Phineas in the eye for the first time since opening the box.

"This was the day we first met."

Phineas silently nodded, glad that she knew where the photos came from. He could feel himself being sent back to that day, the day that his life was changed forever...

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> I had an actual already-made song in this chapter ready to go Then I quite literally yelled, "To heck with that!" and made my own original song. Actually I said a bad word that starts with a F and rhymes with "duck", but it's the same thing, really. But that's where "I Love Being Around You" comes in. If you're trying to think of a rhythm to the song, it's just a simple strum. Simple rhyme scheme. I didn't want to over-complicate it. It wouldn't be a P&F story without an original song, right?

Ariel is the middle name I've given to Isabella for story purposes. It's the name of a dear friend of mine, and one that I particularly like a lot, so it was natural to give it to her.

Yeah...not much else to say. This chapter was hard to write, from both an emotional standpoint and a writer's one. Trying to fit everything in here you wanted was very difficult. I hope that anyone who reads this gets that and enjoys it.

Flashback city is in store for the next chapter, which will be the last one before the New Year (and second-to-last in total). Hang on to your hats, folks; this story's not done yet.

Read and review, if you like.


	8. The Love

_**Disclaimer:** Character-wise, I don't own anything. Fluff-wise, I will take full credit for._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 8 – The Love<strong>_

"_But Mom! I don't want to go to school! I want to be free and ride ponies all day!"_

"_Well, _mi hija_, you have to go to school in order to get a good education! Don't you want that?"_

"_No! Just ponies!"_

_Vivian carried her five-year-old daughter through the front door of the school, coming to a stop at the front desk. "There is more to life than ponies, Isa. There's schools and work and boys-"_

"_Ewww! Boys are icky!"_

_Her mother rolled her eyes. "You say that now, Isa, but you'll change your mind when you're older." She set her daughter down as the receptionist walked up._

"_Good morning. How are you doing today?"_

"_Very well, gracias!" Vivian answered. "I'm here to fill out the rest of the paperwork for Isabella Garcia-Shapiro's enrollment into the school."_

"_All right," the blonde woman said. "Let me scrounge that up for you, then we'll get started. Give me just one moment." She went off through a back door, presumably to print off the papers._

_Isabella looked around the area, spotting the glass door leading to outside and the playground nearby. She tugged on the pant leg of her mother. "Mom, can I go play outside?" she asked, pointed to the door._

_"_Si_,_ si_, Isa, but just make sure to stay in my sight, OK?"_

_Nodding her assent, Isabella walked through the door, marveling at all of the slides and hangouts. It was certainly a departure from what she was used to in Mexico. The grounds were currently empty, since school would not be in session for another couple of weeks._

_Well, almost empty._

_A boy was at the nearest swing, playing with what appeared to be some sort of mechanical rocket. He was trying to fasten it to the bottom part of the swing to no avail. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she sauntered over to the kid, intrigued by his actions._

_"Hey there!" he shouted, clearly noticing her before she had for him. Upon closer inspection, she could see that he had some sort of remote in his hands, preumably to tinker with the rocket. "You must be the new kid that Miss Cheryl told us about! My name's Phineas. What's yours?"_

"_Isabella."  
><em>

"_Isabella?" he repeated, rolling it off of his tongue. "That's a really pretty name."_

_She felt her cheeks start to get hot. "Thank you." This was a gentleman, if nothing else. She remembered the greeting that her _abuela_ used to say upon meeting someone new. It helped, she had said, to break the ice._

_"So...whatcha' doing?"_

"_I'm making only the most awesomest swing ever!" the red-haired boy replied. "It's going to be rocket-propelled so that it can get us really, really high! Once it's done, it will launch us over to that pillow over there." He pointed to the other side of the grounds, where Isabella could see a giant white mattress set up._

"_Isn't that a little dangerous? My mommy told me that flying is definitely not suppose to be done by kids like us."_

_The boy looked up at her, grinning. "Well, yeah. But what's the harm in having a little fun?"_

_There was something about him that drew Phineas in to her. He wasn't like any of the other boys back in Mexico, where they ranged from downcast to nervous to inclusive. Phineas was about as far from that as possible. He was outgoing, carefree. This was not even including his vibrant redhair, a shade that Isabella had never seen before._

_"Unfortunately," Phineas continued, "It seems like some of the wiring is off. So I don't think it's going to come together. Not today, anyway."_

_Isabella kneeled down to look at the rocket. "That's too bad."  
><em>

_"Oh well, I don't need it ready now anyway. But when school starts, it'll be the talk of the entire class."_

_He unfastened the rocket, setting it off to the side. "In the meantime, why don't we properly introduce you to the playground?" He patted the seat in front of him. "Hop on."_

_Isabella was understandably hesitant, letting a boy whose hobby seemed to be building rockets and machinery push her on a swing. "Are you sure?"_

_"It's fine, Isabella. I haven't done anything to the actual seat. Yet."_

_Slowly, she sat down, her hands grasping the chain on either side. Phineas grabbed the chain underneath her hands, pulling it as he backed up._

_"You ready?" he whispered in her ear, sending a chill down her spine._

_"Ready," she replied._

_And on that note, he pushed forward, Isabella surging up into the air. It was the most jubilant feeling she had ever had in her young life. It was a special moment. Giggling madly, her uneasiness of her sudden meeting with Phineas was left on the ground. It might as well have been launched onto the mattress abroad._

_Phineas continued to push Isabella on the swing, both of them unaware of the two adults that stood in the doorway, watching the two kids with growing interest._

_Cheryl leaned toward Vivian, lowering her voice. "I think your daughter is going to fit in here just fine, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro."_

"_Yes," she responded as her daughter went even higher, her laugh infectious. "Yes, she will."_

* * *

><p>Phineas shivered slightly as the memory of their first meeting came back to him. It had been a great time that day, being with Isabella. Even later when she was properly introduced to Ferb, he didn't let her out of her sight, just to make her more comfortable during her first few days at school. Perhaps, he thought, he already knew then just how special she would be to him. He most certainly knew that now, since the last week had been somewhat tumultuous on his mind.<p>

Isabella had said nothing during his brief trip back down memory lane, although he could tell she had been transported back to that day as well. Her mouth was still covered by her hand, and tears were beginning to fall from her eyes, but her smile was a wonderful sight to behold.

"I...umm..." Phineas said, breaking the silence. "I called Miss Cheryl at the preschool to see if she had the photos. I wasn't really expecting her to still have them, but apparently the school holds on to all the pictures. Even the...umm...non-official ones."

It was beginning to occur to the redhead that his neighbor's brain may have shut down when she had opened the box. He had expected for her to like it (and he knew she did; that much was clear); he certainly didn't know that it would cause her to go semi-catatonic.

Phineas scooted closer to her, leaning toward her. "Do you like it?" he whispered.

She silently nodded her head, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"Do you...want me to put it on you?"

Another nod.

Phineas gingerly took the box from her hands, careful not to drop the necklace. He undid the clasp and slowly wrapped the chain around her neck, reattaching it on the other side. Now that the piece was in its proper place, the starlight seemed to make the locket sparkle even more brightly than before. Finished, he looked up at her face. Her gaze was on the locket, her eyes still glimmering.

"I, um..." He started again, his voice shaking slightly, "I was kind of rushing it, I know, so some of the detail work might be a little off. The chain also may be missing-"

Whatever Phineas was going to say was missing from the chain was moot, because Isabella suddenly grabbed him and hugged him with all of her might.

The first hug had been great. This hug was more tender, even if it was just as forceful. He could feel her tears dampen his neck, but he quickly found that he didn't care in the slightest.

"Phineas." Her voice was muffled by his sweatshirt, but he could still hear every word. "This is the most wonderful, beautiful, thoughtful gift that anyone has ever given me."

And that was all he need to hear.

She held on for a little longer, then leaned back, hands unconsciously grabbing him. "I don't even know what to say."

"I'm just glad you like it, Isabella. It makes the work I put into it all worthwhile."

"Wait, you _made_ this?" she asked, incredulous. "How on Earth did you make this in so little time?"

Phineas laughed. "Isabella, it's me we're talking about here. I find the time."

"This is what you were making in the garage? And not the firework or whatever? Gretchen thought that you were up to something, but I didn't really believe her."

"Yeah, she guessed right. Sorry I had to lie to you; I didn't want you to know about it until the time was right."

Isabella glanced down at the necklace again, smiling. "Well, I guess I can forgive you _this_ time."

Phineas looked at his hands, intertwined with hers. It felt right, being there with her. He couldn't think of anywhere else he would rather be.

"Isabella," he said, getting her attention, "Throughout today, I've been thinking about what you mean to me. When I figured out about your feelings for me, I was confused, to be quite honest. I wasn't used to someone thinking about me that way. Candace had to calm me down a little bit. And she gave me the idea of letting you know how I feel through that (nodding to the necklace). So I guess you can thank her for that.

"As I worked on it, I wanted to know where exactly I stood on my feelings toward you. I'm...sort of weird like that. I knew that making that would say volumes about it, but now I..." He squeezed her hands slightly, calming himself down. "I want to say it to you in person."

Isabella gazed into his eyes, threatening to start crying again. "Say what?" she whispered.

"...Isabella, I really care about you. A lot. I know that looking back through our days together and your behavior, it may not be on the same level of you to me, but I know that you mean a lot to me. More than what I originally thought twenty-four hours ago.

"What I've learned is something that I really should have realized ages ago. For that, I'm sorry that it took me so long to see that. But the thing I want you to know is...you're my best friend, Isabella. And you will always will be my best friend. And whatever decided to happen between us in the new year...I will be right next to you every step of the way. Because now I know...that you're worth whatever's going to happen."

Isabella gripped his hands firmly, the tears starting again. "Phineas, this may be a little counterproductive to what you just said, given the fact that my feelings were somewhat more...obvious and bigger (she wiped her eyes with her sleeve), but what you just said...is all I have ever wanted to hear. And I mean that."

She leaned in to hug him again, but this one was (thankfully) not as bone-crushing as the previous few. Phineas returned the favor, glad that this day was finally over.

"_And now here comes the countdown, ladies and gentlemen!_"

...Oh crap, the day was going to be over.

"That's right!" Isabella yelled, turning to her left, her hands still on Phineas' shoulders. "We only got a few seconds left until the new year! I completely forgot!"

"So did I," he agreed. "I guess we've been slightly busy with other things, right?"

"_And ten!_" The people shown in New York was beginning to get crazy with the onset of the new year.

"Nine!" Phineas shouted.

"_Eight!_"

"Seven!" Isabella exclaimed.

As the host on the TV yelled "_Six!_", Phineas felt Isabella's hand on his cheek, tilting his head back toward him. Her smile was not as big as before, but there was something else other than happiness in it; Phineas couldn't quite place it.

"Five," she whispered.

Oh crap. Now he knew what it was. It was a silent question, one that didn't need to be spoken.

"_Four!_"

It was also one, Phineas thought as his hand unconsciously went to her cheek, that didn't need a spoken answer.

"Three," he murmured.

And as the announcer counted to two, they slowly leaned in toward each other, breathing the last number that mattered.

"One..."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>...See you next year, people. Read and review, if you like.


	9. The Year

Apologies to everyone who was expecting this earlier. Had to rework it a little bit after New Year's. That...and I may have been a little inebriated. Anyways...enjoy.

_**Disclaimer: **All characters of Phineas and Ferb are the property of Dan Povenmire, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, and Disney Channel._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 9 – The Year<strong>_

**"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"**

The cheering commenced immediately after the giant ball dropped. There was mass hysteria, cheering, and fanfare to be had. The entirety of Danville was ready to celebrate into the night.

Linda pulled her husband closer, kissing him softly on the lips. "Happy New Year, sweetheart."

"And a merry one to you as well, dear," Lawrence replied.

She looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of what the rest of the citizens were doing with the first few minutes of the new year. It appeared that most of the kids, even though they were young, were taking advantage of the festivities around them.

Gretchen tiptoed up high to quickly peck Ferb's cheek, the both of them blushing furiously.

Django and Milly were together in a tender hug, which Linda knew was something that the two did not have a lot of in recent times.

Ginger had Baljeet around the waist, shaking him around like a madwoman, Holly unsuccessfully trying to detach the two of them.

Adyson was on Buford's shoulder, silently fist-bumping him into a brand new year.

Irving was jumping up and down, fully basking in the glory of the celebration, Katie slowly shaking her head in equal parts embarrassment and humor.

And Phineas? Where was-

"Oh, there you are, Phineas."

She saw her son walking up to her, hand in hand with Isabella.

And both of their faces were very, very pink.

"So, I take it that you had an eventful New Year's, Phineas?" his mother asked him, a dangerously knowing smile on her face.

Phineas glanced at Isabella, then back at his mom. "Yes, you could say that."

Linda smiled, spying the new piece of jewelry on Isabella's neck. "Where did you get that pretty necklace, Isabella?"

She looked down at the ground, her face getting redder by the second. "Phineas...um...gave it to me," she whispered.

"Well, wasn't that sweet of him?"

Phineas was doing a very good job of not looking directly at his mother, his blush approaching the level of Isabella's. She wisely decided that he had had enough gentle teasing for one night. "We're probably going to hang out a little bit longer here, kids, then head home. So be ready to leave in about a half-hour, OK?"

"OK, Mom." Phineas gently tugged on Isabella's arm, and the two of them went over to their friends.

Lawrence, noticing the entire exchange, smirked at his wife. "It would appear that we were not the only ones who partook in something special tonight."

"Yes," Linda agreed, "It would appear that way."

"And I suppose you're going to bother him about it?"

Linda smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't."

* * *

><p>And she did. A little bit, anyway.<p>

The car ride home was mostly uneventful, with everyone taking their same positions as the trip to the park. However, there was one key difference between then and now.

Both Phineas and Isabella were fast asleep.

It was a sweet sight to his mother, seeing Isabella with her head on her son's shoulder. It was unfortunate that she didn't have a camera, or else she would've taken a picture on the spot. If she wasn't driving, of course.

Linda pulled into the garage, turning the car off with a flip of her wrist. She turned around to Ferb and Candace, who were still next to the other two. "You two get ready for bed. I just need to wake these two up."

They silently nodded and scooted out, exiting through the garage door.

"Lawrence," she continued, looking at her husband, "Can you give me a minute with these two?"

"Don't be too nosy, dear. I'm sure Phineas will tell you what happened between him and Isabella."

"What makes you think I'm going to interrogate him?"

Lawrence scoffed as he climbed out of the car. "Because he's your child, sweetheart. Parents are entitled to a little inquiry, especially in situations like this."

"I'm just waking them up, that's all."

"If you say so," he replied, walking toward the door. "See you in a few, honey."

Linda watched him walk inside, and then diverted her attention to the kids in the backseat. "Phineas," she whispered, shaking his shoulder slightly. "We gotta get you inside, sweetie."

He opened his eyes, rubbing them to get the doldrums out. "OK, let me just-" He then noticed Isabella's head on him still and reddened. "Oh, hey...when did that happen?"

"I would say about five minutes ago," Linda chuckled, checking her watch. "She must be tuckered out from all of the excitement."

"Excitement? What are you talking about?"

She pointed to Isabella, where her necklace was still shining as bright as ever. "I would say that. Did you really get that for her?"

"Yeah."

"That was very thoughtful of you, dear. I'm sure she appreciated it."

"Oh yeah," he added, thinking back to the cliff and blushing even further. "She most definitely did."

Phineas saw that his mother was considering asking an undoubtedly awkward question after he said that, but decided against it. "I'm going to drive Isabella over to Vivian's house, OK? Go inside and get ready for bed."

"Mom, is it all right if I walk Isabella over instead?"

His mom looked at him with a curious look, on that Phineas couldn't quite place. After a bit, she relented. "Of course, honey. Just don't take too long, OK? I don't want to have to slap a curfew on you when you're this young."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing, sweetie," she said, smirking. "I'll see you in a few minutes." With that, Linda sat up, heading inside for the night.

Phineas sighed. He would have to talk to his mom about _that_ one later. For now, however, he has more important things to worry about.

He gave Isabella's arm a slight shake, trying to wake her as gently as possible. "Isabella."

"Mmmm?" Clearly, she was perfectly content where she was right now.

"You got to go home. You can't stay in the car forever."

"But what if I want to?"

"I'm pretty sure your mom would not approve of that."

She opened one eye, looking squarely at Phineas. "Are you sure I have to?"

"Mom said so. She didn't say anything about not coming over tomorrow, though."

Isabella stretched her arms, stifling a yawn. "Well, I _suppose_ I can do that, then."

Phineas scooted out the car, Isabella not far behind. They took their time walking the short distance to her front door, though he was conflicted about how he wanted this night to end. They had already realized and done so much in a short amount of time; what was there to do to put a cap on it?

They reached Isabella's front door, but before either of them could say anything, it swung open, revealing Isabella's mother, Vivian Garcia-Shapiro. Her right leg was currently in a cast, which made her crutches all the more distinguished. That didn't appear to dampen her spirits, however.

"_Shalom, mi hija_! I saw Linda pull up a minute ago. Happy New Year! And also one to you as well, Phineas!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro!" He looked at the cast on her leg. "Mom told me about the leg. Tough break."

"Oh, this? It was an accident," she replied, shrugging him off. "Naomi fixed me right up. I just have to not go barging around the house like I normally do, and it will heal in no time. Not that I _barge_, mind you, but I would have figured that-"

"That's...great, Mom," Isabella said, awkwardly shuffling her feet. "Can you...um...give us a minute? Please?"

Vivian, who was ready to go on another tear, stopped in her tracks. It looked as if she had finally noticed what was around Isabella's neck. "_Dios mio_, Isa! That is a most beautiful necklace! Wherever did you get that?"

Phineas raised a nervous hand in the air. "That would be me, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro."

Isabella's mom took a look at him, then to her daughter, then back again at Phineas. "You did? So...Ooooh! That's why you...Ahhh!" She kneeled down, bringing Isabella closer to her. "Forgive me, _mi hija_, your mother is not thinking too fast tonight. The New Year and all."

"It's all right, Mom," Isabella said, smirking at her mother's slowness. "So..." She motioned to the door with her head. "A minute?"

"Oh, of course, Isabella! No need for me to intrude!" She backed up through the doorway, waving to the redhead again. "Happy New Year, Phineas!"

"You as well, Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro."

The door closed, and Phineas was finally able to breathe easier. Now that Isabella's mom was out of the way (even though he pretended not to see her peering through the blinds), he could have a proper send-off for the night.

"Well, that was interesting," he admitted.

"Yes, you have to pardon Mom," Isabella said, rolling her eyes. "I know she had to contain herself because of this." She pointed to her necklace. "She knows how much I...like you."

"Ahh." He wished he could think of a better response for her, but she stepped closer and the prior few minutes became a distant memory.

"Phineas, this has been one of the best nights of my life. You really don't have any idea what it means to me. I know that you aren't on the same level of me when it comes to my feelings, but knowing that you care about me as much as you do is...well, if I sat here and told you, we'd be here until the morning."

"Thank you, Isabella." He took her hands in his, mirroring their position from earlier that night. "I'm just glad that I managed to get this figured out before...I don't know...we get into high school and you set your sights after the quarterback or something."

Isabella laughed. "Oh, Phineas, it's always been you. You don't have to worry about that at all."

He pulled her into a warm hug, feeling her head come to rest on his shoulder. What he wouldn't give to just stay here with her for the night, but the cold (not to mention the parents) would have something to say about that.

"Are you coming by tomorrow?" Phineas asked.

"Of course. Do you have anything planned?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can think of _something_."

Isabella laughed as she pulled back from him, hands on his shoulders. "Like you always do."

They stood there for a moment longer, Phineas knowing that he didn't leave know, his mom would probably have a fit.

"I have to go, Isabella," Phineas said. "I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"

"OK, Phineas. I just need to say one last thing."

"And that would be?"

Suddenly, he felt her hands come up to his cheeks and saw her head lean in, delicately kissing him on the corner of his mouth. He would have been completely stunned if not for the fact that even crazier things had happened that night. She pulled back, her blush radiating in the darkness.

"Good night, Phineas."

"Good night, Isabella."

She walked backwards toward her house, playfully waving at him as she opened it up. He waved back, watching her close the front door behind her.

Now that she was inside, the cold air felt appropriately that way, a fact that came as a shock to him. Perhaps this was what a deep companionship did to someone. He would certainly have to figure out some sort of experiment to figure that out, but in the meantime, it was time for bed.

Phineas made his way back to his house, kicking off all of his winter attire. Climbing the stairs, his mind was racing with everything that had occurred over the past several hours. It would be somewhat of a miracle if he managed to get any sleep tonight.

He opened the door to his room-

"So, how'd it go?"

"GAH!" He recoiled, failing to immediately notice Candace and Ferb sitting cross-legged on his bed, dressed in their pajamas. They had without a doubt been waiting for him to enter for a little bit. "Geez Louise, don't scare me like that, guys."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that." Candace waved his statement off. "Spill! I want details."

"And I, as well," Ferb concurred.

Phineas looked at the two of them, slightly peeved. "I didn't think Ferb knew what I was doing."

"Sorry, Phineas," his sister said, her tone sincere this time. "I kind of told him about earlier today. I figured that you had already figured out things between you and Isabella at the park. But if it's any consolation, we still don't know what you did."

He strode over to his sketch table and pulled out the roll of parchment he was using in the garage. He brought it over to the two and unfurled it. "This was it. The necklace that I drew up in no time at all. Happy now?"

"Wow," Candace marveled, tracing the locket drawing with her finger. "That's really fancy there, Phineas. And you made that?"

"Yup."

"That's why you had everything covered in the garage," Ferb chimed in. "I figured you were up to something, but I didn't know what."

Phineas rolled the parchment up again. "Now you know. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about my plans. I just...needed to do it on my own. And I wanted it to be perfect."

"That's fine; I don't blame you," Candace said. "Although I thought I said not to go overboard for this thing."

"Candace, Phineas' middle name might as well _be_ 'Overboard.'"

"Are you two done now?" the redhead questioned, his face becoming flustered. "I've had a pretty eventful night; I'm going to need sleep."

"Oh yes, you sure did."

Phineas looked at his sister again, hand poised over his drawing table. "What do you mean by that?"

It was Ferb who answered him. "Mom came in and told us that you were walking Isabella home. And...we got kind of nosy."

Phineas could see that Candace was very determined to not look her little brother in the eye. "Oh my goodness, you didn't really-"

"Sorry, Phineas," Candace repeated. "We're siblings, remember? It's sort of our obligation to pry." She got up from the bed, heading to her room for the night, but stopped at the doorway. "By the way, I would give it about a seven. There's definitely room for improvement on your part. But I think you got plenty of time." Smirking, she left their room. "Good night, twerps."

Ferb peered at his brother, whose face was hidden by the hand that had suddenly slapped it. "I tried to stop her, you know."

"Yeah, I'm sure you did." Phineas made haste to put on his pajamas in a desperate attempt to get to bed.

"Phineas."

He pulled his pajama shirt over his head, seeing Ferb staring at him. "What?"

"I am really happy for you. I hope you know that."

He climbed into bed, pulling the covers over his body. "I know that you are. I'm just not used to all of this, that's all."

Ferb laid down, dimming the lamplight. "Yes, but like Candace said, I think you have a lot of time to work on it. And I'm sure Isabella will be patient. She's been so for a long time now."

Phineas silently agreed, feeling the doldrums of sleep starting to catch up to him. Finally, it seemed like peace was getting ready to settle in his mind.

"I just have one last question, Phineas."

A little annoyed, Phineas opened one eye.

"Yeah?"

"...What exactly happened after you left me during the party?"

There was so much that he could have said to him at that time. He could have mentioned the song. He could've mentioned the way her hands felt so right in his. He could have mentioned her overjoyed reaction to his gift to her. He could've mentioned the myriad of hugs they had shared.

He could've mentioned the kiss.

"Ferb," he said firmly, turning his body away from Ferb, hiding the blush creeping up his neck, "There are some things in life...that are just better left to the imagination."

_**THE END**_

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Before anyone asks...Dr. Hirano.

And also, there is a reason why the previous chapter and then this chapter ended the way it did. The reason? It was planned that way.

It's no secret that you can probably guess what happened on the cliff at the end of Chapter 8. When you have an emotional moment that is a defining point in time and you're so overwhelmed with what you _could_ say...sometimes it's just a better idea to say nothing at all. I will leave it up to your imagination to figure out what happened. Again, it's not _that_ hard of a guess.

As for the end...Phineas is so going to take it to his grave. The...special part, anyway.

I originally had another cutback to Isabella planned at the end, as well as an epilogue involving when they get back to school, but you know what? I'm pretty pleased with the way it ended.

I have to take the time to give thanks to everyone who has read this story and those who took the time to review. It is really awesome that so many people liked this fic, which is great because even with the time constraints, I put a lot of work and heart into this story. And I'm glad to see that it paid off. Special thanks to the repeat reviewers, who kept coming back for more, even when I felt I did a crappy job. You guys are the reason why I do this. Thank you.

Remember, you can always subscribe to me to get story updates and life updates first. You may not want the latter, but I'm sure you would like the former.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, ladies and gents.


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